A few years ago we were in the habit of ordering takeout from our favorite Asian restaurant a little too often. The food was delicious, but I knew we could make delicious and healthy Asian food in our own kitchen. My husband and I made it our goal to recreate some of our favorite stir fry recipes at home.

Now that we’re creating delicious Asian recipes at home, we’re saving money, and enjoying a healthier version of our favorites. We feel good about these healthy changes, and actually prefer our own recipes at home over the restaurant recipes we used to love.

One of our favorite creations, our Vegetable Lo Mein Recipe, is so simple and yet so damn delicious. It’s made with a flavorful stir fry sauce, lo mein noodles, and a variety of crunchy vegetables. It’s the perfect Vegetable Lo Mein recipe to satisfy your cravings without all the added sodium you’d get from a restaurant.

This easy recipe will be your new family favorite. An easy weeknight meal that is flavorful, without a lot of fuss.

Where’s the Recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we love it when our readers feel successful in the kitchen. Eating healthy is so important, and we work hard to help our readers achieve all of their healthy eating goals.

In each recipe, we include detailed information, helpful tips and tricks, healthy eating plan point information, as well as nutritional information. If you are more experienced in the kitchen and ready for a more simplified version of this recipe, simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you’ll find our easy to print Vegetable Lo Mein Recipe.

Ingredients in Vegetable Lo Mein Recipe

• Tofu: We recommend extra firm tofu for this recipe. We’ve found it makes the best crispy tofu which is exactly what we need when we make lo mein.
• Brown Rice Chow Mein Noodles or Ramen Noodles: Lo mein noodles are so important in this veggie lo mein dish. We prefer using ramen noodles or chow mein noodles made out of brown rice. It’s a healthier alternative to traditional lo mein noodles.
• Green Cabbage: Cabbage is a superfood that’s packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. If you’re looking for a time saver, you could purchase a bag of pre shredded cabbage from the grocery store.
• Carrots: We love carrots in our vegetable lo mein dish. If you’re looking for a shortcut, you can always buy a bag of matchstick carrots from the grocery store. These are already julienned and the perfect size for a stir fry.
• Broccoli Slaw: We use prepackaged broccoli slaw for this recipe. You get the flavors of broccoli without the big florets. If you aren’t able to find broccoli slaw at your grocery store, feel free to sub in other vegetables like bok choy or bell peppers.
• Celery: We love the crunch of celery. It’s the perfect addition to our veggie lo mein.
• Snow Peas: Snow peas are thinner than snap peas. We prefer these in our lo mein, but if you aren’t able to find these in your local grocery store, feel free to sub in snap peas. The crunch of a snap pea sounds delicious.
• Garlic: Our easy vegetable lo mein recipe includes garlic. We prefer using fresh garlic over the prepackaged or dried kind.
• Ginger: We love freshly grated ginger for this recipe.
• Green Onions: The perfect garnish for a stir fry.

Delicious Lo Mein Sauce Ingredients

• Coconut aminos: We prefer to use coconut aminos over regular soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce in this delicious lo mein sauce. We love the flavor of the aminos, and find our dishes much less salty when we use this over soy sauce.
• Fish sauce: The fish sauce is an important ingredient in our vegetable lo mein sauce. You should be able to find fish sauce at your local grocery store in the Asian department, or at your local Asian market.
• Zhong sauce or Sichuan chili sauce or Sambal Oelek Chili Paste: If you haven’t tried Zhong sauce, I highly recommend it! It’s delicious and helps make the perfect stir fry sauce because of the depth of flavor it provides. If you aren’t able to locate Zhong sauce at your local grocery or on Amazon, feel free to track down the Sambal Oelek chili paste.
• Sesame oil: Any delicious stir fry sauce most likely includes sesame oil. We love putting it in our stir fry, and love the complex and nutty flavor it provides for our vegetable lo mein sauce. For this recipe I prefer regular sesame oil, though I do often recommend using toasted/roasted sesame oil in many recipes.
• Vegetable broth: The Vegetable broth helps create the vegetable lo mein sauce. We always buy low sodium broth.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch in a sauce is used to help thicken up all the sauce ingredients.

How to Make Vegetable Lo Mein Recipe

1. Drain the tofu and slice into small strips. Air fry or bake at 350º, turning after 5-7 minutes. In the oven, I like to put the tofu on parchment paper while it cooks. Cook until the tofu dries out a bit but not so much that it browns too much. Depending on the size of your air fryer, cook in small batches and set aside as it finishes. 
2. Boil water for your noodles, and cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse noodles with cold water when they’re finished cooking, then set them aside. 
3. Prepare your veggies: Shred the cabbage, peel and julienne the carrots, dice the celery, and trim the edges of the snow peas. Dice the onions and set them aside to use after your meal is finished cooking. 
4. To make the sauce combine all sauce ingredients, including cornstarch, and whisk to combine. Set aside. 
5. When the tofu is finished cooking, spray a large pan with nonstick cooking spray and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the garlic, ginger, cabbage, carrots, broccoli slaw, celery, and snow peas to the pan.  
6. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the cooked noodles and tofu to the pan. Turn the heat down to low-medium and mix everything together carefully. Cook for 3-5 minutes and allow the noodles and tofu to heat up a little.
7. Add the sauce to the pan and mix well. Cover the meal and turn the heat down to low and allow the food to cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes. 
8. Remove from heat and add chopped green onions to the top and serve warm. 

Recipe Tips

• You could use soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce for this recipe, however when we were recipe testing this recipe, we found the result to be much too salty. We recommend swapping out the soy sauce and sticking with coconut aminos.
• If you aren’t able to find ramen noodles or chow mein noodles, feel free to sub in udon noodles, soba noodles, or whole wheat spaghetti noodles. These choices won’t quite be the same, but will do in a pinch. We prefer using the brown rice noodles when possible.
• If you are in a bind, you could use frozen veggies.
• This stir fry is versatile. We love that you can include all the veggies! Feel free to swap in any other lo mein vegetables you have at home such as bell pepper, zucchini, or asparagus.
• I try to always toss my cubed tofu in cornstarch before cooking it. It’s not necessary, but it really helps the tofu not stick together.

Healthy Eating Plan Points

21 Day Fix

This 21 Day Fix Vegetable Lo Mein Recipe is packed full of fresh vegetables. It has a lot of teaspoons, though – I’d reduce the coconut aminos and sesame oil where I could and make sure to drink extra water to flush out the sodium from all of the teaspoon ingredients.

Entire recipe: 1 1/2 red containers, 3 yellow containers, 7 1/2 green containers, 36 teaspoons

Per serving: 1/4 red container, 1/2 yellow container, 1 1/4 green containers, 6 teaspoons

Weight Watchers

10 2023 Plan Points – reducing the coconut aminos and sesame oil in this recipe will help you reduce those points.

Looking for more healthy Asian dinner cuisine recipes?

• Healthy Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta
• Healthy Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
• Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry Bowls with Coconut Rice
• Instant Pot Ramen Stir Fry with Chicken
• Healthy Drunken Noodles Recipe

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Vegetable Lo Mein Recipe

This easy vegetable lo mein recipe will be your new family favorite. An easy weeknight meal that is flavorful, without a lot of fuss.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Keyword Vegetable Lo Mein Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 495kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

• Toaster, Oven, or Air Fryer
• Kitchen Knife
• Cutting Board

Ingredients

Lo Mein Ingredients

• 14 oz extra firm tofu drained and lightly air fried with no seasoning or sauce
• 12 oz brown rice chow mein noodles or brown rice ramen
• 1.5 cups shredded green cabbage
• 2 carrots large, julienne cut
• 1 cup broccoli slaw
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 1 cup snow peas ends cut off
• 2 tsp fresh garlic minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
• 1 bunch green onions diced

Sauce Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp Zhong sauce or sichuan chili sauce or sambal oelek chili paste
• 3 tbsp light sesame oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

• Drain the tofu and slice into small strips/cubes. Air fry or bake at 350º, turning after 5-7 minutes. Cook until the tofu dries out a bit but not so much that it browns.  14 oz extra firm tofu
• Boil water for your noodles, and cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse noodles with cold water when they're finished cooking, then set them aside. 12 oz brown rice chow mein noodles
• Shred the cabbage, peel and julienne the carrots, dice the celery, and trim the edges of the snow peas. Dice the onions and set them aside to use after your meal is finished cooking. 
• Combine all sauce ingredients into a medium bowl, including cornstarch, and whisk to combine. Set aside. 1/2 cup coconut aminos 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tbsp Zhong sauce 3 tbsp light sesame oil 1/2 cup vegetable broth 1 tbsp cornstarch
• When the tofu is finished cooking, spray a large pan with nonstick cooking spray and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the garlic, ginger, cabbage, carrots, broccoli slaw, celery, and snow peas to the pan.  2 tsp fresh garlic 1 tsp fresh ginger 1.5 cups shredded green cabbage 2 carrots 1 cup broccoli slaw 2 celery stalks 1 cup snow peas
• Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the cooked noodles and tofu to the pan. Turn the heat down to low-medium and mix everything together carefully. Cook for 3-5 minutes and allow the noodles and tofu to heat up a little.
• Add the sauce to the pan and mix well. Cover the meal and turn the heat down to low and allow the food to cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes. 
• Remove from heat and add chopped green onions to the top and serve.  1 bunch green onions

Notes

21 Day Fix

Entire recipe: 1 1/2 red containers, 3 yellow containers, 7 1/2 green containers, 36 teaspoons

Per serving: 1/4 red container, 1/2 yellow container, 1 1/4 green containers, 6 teaspoons

Weight Watchers

10  2023 Plan Points 

Nutrition

Calories: 495kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 3.8g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 561mg | Potassium: 428mg | Fiber: 7.6g | Sugar: 5.4g | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Vegetable Lo Mein Recipe appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

This is one of my favorite tofu recipes to make my family for meatless Monday. It’s an easy dinner that’s filling and so flavorful! 

Where’s the Recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we want all of our readers to feel confident in the kitchen. Whether you’re a new cook or have been cooking all of your life, we want you to feel like you can recreate our recipes with ease. To best serve all of the readers here, we provide a lot of information in our posts. 

In the article below you will find ingredient information, detailed cooking instructions, recipe tips, and healthy eating plan calculations for WW, 2B Mindset, and Portion Fix. If you’d like to skip past all of that you can scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find our easy to print Teriyaki Tofu Stir-Fry recipe card. 

Ingredients in Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry Bowls

• Broccoli florets: broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable rich in antioxidants and other beneficial plant compounds. It may also offer several benefits, especially for eye health, heart health, and disease prevention.
• Sugar snap peas: snap peas have important vitamins and nutrients, including 100% of your daily values of vitamin C, vitamin K and folate. They’re low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium, making them perfect for any healthy diet. Snap peas are great in stir fry recipes, just be careful that you don’t overcook them because they will lose their crispness.
• Bell peppers: using a couple different colored bell peppers is a great way to brighten up this teriyaki tofu bowl. Typically, I will use one red bell pepper, and one yellow or orange bell pepper. You can choose your favorite varieties for this recipe.
• Red onion: I prefer red onion but you can use white or yellow onions if you’d like.
• Zucchini: zucchini is a versatile squash rich in vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds. It may offer several health benefits, ranging from improved digestion to a lower risk of heart disease.
• Spices: for this broccoli stir fry I use fresh ginger, garlic, sesame oil and coconut aminos. 
• Tofu: this teriyaki tofu recipe is so delicious. It’s marinated in a homemade teriyaki sauce and then air fried, creating crispy tofu cubes that are the perfect plant-based protein for this stir fry.
• Rice: this coconut brown rice is easy to make in the Instant Pot. You can also use cauliflower rice if you’re trying to cut carbs. 

How to Make Crispy Teriyaki Tofu

1. Remove the extra firm tofu block from its packaging and drain the liquid in the sink.
2. Press the excess water from the block of tofu by using a tofu press or a cutting board with paper towels on top and bottom of the tofu and some heavy pots or pans on top. This usually takes 20-30 minutes or so, depending on how aggressive you are with adding weight/tightening the press.
3. Slice into thin strips (1/4 inch strips are what we aim for). Too thin and the tofu will be chewier and crunchier, and it will cook faster. 
4. Add the teriyaki sauce ingredients you’d like to marinate the tofu in. I actually stick all of the tofu in an airtight container and add the sauce, then cook half of it for the bowls and let the other half sit and marinate in the fridge until I’m ready to cook it. It’s perfect for meal prep!
5. Allow the tofu to marinate for 10-20 minutes, or as long as you have until you need to begin cooking. The longer you allow it to marinate, the more flavorful tofu you’ll have.  
6. Spray the bottom of your air fryer basket with some olive oil cooking spray. Add the tofu pieces in a single layer on the bottom of the fryer. 
7. Set air fryer to 375º and set for 10-20 minutes of cook time, checking on them every 5 minutes. 
8. Flip your tofu pieces over after 10 minutes of cooking time. The bottom always browns a little faster, so flipping helps to get them evenly cooked. 
9. Pull out the tofu pieces when they’re golden brown and drizzle extra sauce on them if needed. Top with sesame seeds, if you’d like.

How to Make Instant Pot Coconut Rice

1. The first thing you will want to do is rinse your rice in cold water. Make sure you give it a good rinse and that the water runs clear.
2. Next, spray the inner pot of your electric pressure cooker with cooking oil spray, and then add the rinsed rice to your pot.
3. Now you need to add an equal amount of liquid to your rice (for this recipe 2 cups of rice = 2 cups of liquid). Pour the full-fat coconut milk into a measuring cup and then fill the measuring cup to 2 cups with water. 
4. Add the coconut milk and water to your instant pot.
5. Close the lid of your pot and turn your pressure release valve to Sealing position.
6. Use the Pressure Cook or Manual button and set the cooking time to 24 minutes.
7. When the cook time has completed, let the remaining pressure naturally release. Allow a natural release time of at least 10 minutes, and turn off the “keep warm” setting if your pot has one. Allowing the rice to naturally release pressure without the heat keeps the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
8. This recipe makes 12 servings (or 6 cups), so set aside 3 cups of rice to make the rice bowl and refrigerate or freeze the remaining 3 cups until needed.

How to Make Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry Bowls

1. Rinse and chop your vegetables into similar-sized pieces so that they cook together evenly.
2. Heat a large frying pan or cast iron skillet on medium heat and give the pan a quick spray of cooking spray. I like to use avocado or olive oil over vegetable oil spray because they are less processed. 
3. Add the chopped veggies to the pan and then add your stir fry seasonings (minced ginger, minced garlic, sesame oil and coconut aminos).
4. Cook the veggies until they are fragrant and slightly softened.
5. Build your bowl using coconut rice, air fryer tofu, and stir fried vegetables. 

Recipe Tips

• If you have a few extra minutes and want to level up your tofu, sprinkle corn starch onto the tofu pieces before you air fry them to make even crispier tofu.
• Don’t crowd your tofu in the air fryer – there won’t be enough space for the hot air to cook the tofu and some will burn while others will be undercooked.
• If you don’t have an air fryer, you can make Crispy Baked Tofu in the oven! I’d set it for the same time and temperature as the air fryer directions above.
• The rice recipe makes 12 servings of rice which is great for meal prep! Freeze the extra rice in airtight container. It reheats in the microwave really well.
• Refrigerate cooked rice for up to 6 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

Healthy Eating Plans

This recipe makes 6 servings.

21 Day Fix Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry Bowls

Entire recipe: 6 yellow containers, 6 green containers, 3 red containers, 3 blue containers, and 10 teaspoons.

Per serving: 1 yellow container, 1 green container, 1/2 red container, 1/2 blue container, and 1 2/3 teaspoons.

Weight Watchers

This WW Teriyaki Tofu and Rice Bowl is a little under 9 2023 Plan Points per serving.

2B Mindset

I love how versatile this recipe is for 2B. Skip the rice if you’re eating this recipe for dinner, but portion your plate for lunch with the veggies, tofu, and rice.

More healthy recipes:

• Spring Roll Salad
• Healthy Kung Pao Chicken
• Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
• Instant Pot Ramen Stir Fry
• Healthy Drunken Noodles
• Asian Turkey Lettuce Wrap Recipe

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Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry Bowls with Coconut Rice

Teriyaki tofu stir fry bowls with coconut rice are a healthy and delicious meal that is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Keyword stir fry

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 187kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

• Enameled Cast Iron Pan
• Kitchen Knife
• Cutting Board

Ingredients

• 1 cup broccoli
• 1 cup sugar snap peas
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper
• 1 red onion
• 1 zucchini
• 2 tsp fresh ginger root minced
• 1 tsp garlic minced
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp coconut aminos
• 3 cups cooked coconut rice
• 14 oz Crispy Air Fryer Tofu

Instructions

How to Make Crispy Teriyaki Tofu

• Remove the extra firm tofu block from its packaging and drain the liquid in the sink.
• Press the excess water from the block of tofu by using a tofu press or a cutting board with paper towels on top and bottom of the tofu and some heavy pots or pans on top. This usually takes 20-30 minutes or so, depending on how aggressive you are with adding weight/tightening the press.
• Slice into thin strips (1/4 inch strips are what we aim for).  Too thin and the tofu will be chewier and crunchier and will cook faster. 
• Add the teriyaki sauce ingredients you’d like to marinate the tofu in. I actually stick all of the tofu in an airtight container and add the sauce, then cook half of it and let the other half sit and marinate in the fridge until I’m ready to cook it. It’s perfect for meal prep!
• Allow the tofu to marinate for 10-20 minutes, or as long as you have until you need to begin cooking. The longer you allow it to marinate, the more flavorful tofu you’ll have.  
• Spray the bottom of your air fryer basket with some olive oil cooking spray. Add the tofu pieces in a single layer on the bottom of the fryer. 
• Set air fryer to 375º and cook for 10-20 minutes of cook time, checking on them every 5 minutes. 
• Flip your tofu pieces over after 10 minutes of cooking time. The bottom always browns a little faster, so flipping helps to get them evenly cooked. 
• Pull out the tofu pieces when they’re golden brown and drizzle extra sauce on them if needed. Top with sesame seeds, if you’d like.

How to Make Instant Pot Coconut Rice

• The first thing you will want to do is rinse your rice in cold water. Make sure you give it a good rinse and that the water runs clear.
• Next, spray the inner pot of your electric pressure cooker with cooking oil spray, and then add the rinsed rice to your pot.
• Now you need to add an equal amount of liquid to your rice (for this recipe 2 cups of rice = 2 cups of liquid). Pour the full-fat coconut milk into a measuring cup and then fill the measuring cup to 2 cups with water. 
• Add the coconut milk and water to your instant pot.
• Close the lid of your pot and turn your pressure release valve to Sealing position.
• Use the Pressure Cook or Manual button and set the cooking time to 24 minutes.
• When the cook time has completed let the remaining pressure naturally release. Allow a natural release time of at least 10 minutes, and turn off the “keep warm” setting if your pot has one. Allowing the rice to naturally release pressure without the heat keeps the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• This recipe makes 12 servings (or 6 cups), so set aside 3 cups of rice to make the rice bowl and refrigerate or freeze the remaining 3 cups until needed.

How to Make Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry Bowls

• Rinse and chop your vegetables into similar-sized pieces so that they cook together evenly. 1 cup broccoli, 1 cup sugar snap peas, 1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, 1 red onion, 1 zucchini
• Heat a large frying pan or cast iron skillet on medium heat and give the pan a quick spray of cooking spray. I like to use avocado or olive oil over vegetable oil spray because they are less processed. 
• Add the chopped veggies to the pan and then add your stir fry seasonings (minced ginger, minced garlic, sesame oil and coconut aminos). 2 tsp fresh ginger root, 1 tsp garlic, 2 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp coconut aminos
• Cook the veggies until they are fragrant and slightly softened.
• Build your bowl using coconut rice, air fryer tofu, and stir fried vegetables. 3 cups cooked coconut rice, 14 oz Crispy Air Fryer Tofu

Notes

Healthy Eating Plans

This recipe makes 6 servings.

21 Day Fix Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry Bowls

Entire recipe: 6 yellow containers, 6 green containers, 3 red containers, 3 blue containers, and 10 teaspoons

Per serving: 1 yellow container, 1 green container, 1/2 red container, 1/2 blue container, and 1 2/3 teaspoons

Weight Watchers

This WW Teriyaki Tofu and Rice Bowl is a little under 9 2023 Plan Points per serving.

2B Mindset

I love how versatile this recipe is for 2B – Skip the rice if you’re eating this recipe for dinner, but portion your plate for lunch with the veggies, tofu, and rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.3g | Protein: 5.2g | Fat: 9.5g | Saturated Fat: 3.35g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 565mg | Potassium: 355mg | Fiber: 4.25g | Sugar: 22.5g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 4mg

The post Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry Bowls with Coconut Rice appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Make our Baked Carrot Fries in your air fryer or oven, and lightly salt them to satisfy your french fry cravings!

Our crispy baked carrot fries are a great way to get more healthy vegetables into your daily values. Our crispy carrot fries are made with only three simple ingredients, and make the perfect snack or side dish for your dinner.  

Regular potato fries are delicious, there is no denying that. Our carrot fries are just as delicious, and will help keep your craving for traditional fries at bay. 

The natural sweetness of the carrots pairs perfectly with the simple flavors of sea salt. It’s the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and healthy! Our carrot fries are like sweet potato fries and will earn a five star rating from everyone in your family. 

Where’s the Recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we love it when our readers feel confident and empowered in the kitchen. We strive to provide detailed recipes that are helpful to all varying levels of cooking skills. 

In our recipes we include detailed instructions, nutritional information, healthy eating plan points, as well as other helpful tips and tricks to help you be more successful. If you are ready to start cooking, simply scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the easy to print recipe for Baked Carrot Fries. 

Ingredients in Baked Carrot Fries

• Oil: We recommend using extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil for this recipe. Both oils are full of healthy fats.  
• Sea Salt: Not all salts are the same, the flakiness of sea salt is the perfect dusting of salt for carrots. 
• Carrots: Carrots are delicious and a great option to eat for many health benefits. They are a source of beta carotene, fiber, potassium, and antioxidants. 

Instructions for Baked Carrot Fries in Oven or Air Fryer

1. If cooking these carrot fries in the oven, preheat oven to 350º.  
2. Peel carrots with a vegetable peeler (be careful!), slice into fry-sized pieces that are also a fry shape. 
3. Place carrots in a large mixing bowl and toss with olive oil and salt to taste.
4. Spread carrot sticks in a single layer on a large baking sheet or sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Place baking sheet in hot oven. If cooking in the air fryer, try to place carrots as spread out, in an even layer, as much as possible. 
5. If cooking in the air fryer, check every 2-3 minutes and remove when tips are brown.
6. If in oven, bake for 12-25 minutes at 350 degrees until carrots are browned.
7. Transfer to a large bowl and season with more salt if needed. 

Recipe Tips

• Our oven-baked carrot fries are easily modified and can serve as a starting point if you’re feeling adventurous. Try sprinkling garlic powder, onion powder, or a light dusting of parmesan cheese the next time you make our carrot fries. If you do add additional toppings, please note that your healthy eating plan points would need to be recalculated. 
• These carrot fries are best eaten fresh. You can store them in an airtight container and reheat later, however they aren’t quite as crunchy. 
• Try to cut your fries all the same size and shape. If you have smaller pieces, you might end up with super-burnt crunchy pieces of carrots. 
• This would be a great addition to many of your side dishes at the table for a special occasion. 

Healthy Eating Plans

Weight Watchers

2 Points on the 2023 Plan | 2 Blue, Green, and Purple Plan Points per serving 

21 Day Fix

This 21 Day Fix Recipe for Baked Carrot Fries is a delicious way to use up your green containers for the day. Just fill your green container with these oven baked carrot fries and count as 1 green container and 1 tsp. 

2B Mindset

These Baked Carrot Fries are a delicious addition to lunch or dinner on 2B Mindset.

More healthy but delicious veggie recipes

• Air Fryer Eggplant
• Turnip Fries
• Healthy Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Filling Vegetarian Meals – Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

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Recipe for Baked Carrot Fries

These Baked Carrot Fries are the perfect answer to your salt craving! You can use an air fryer or your oven to get crispy vegetable fries that will satisfy your craving!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Baked Carrot Fries

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 17 minutes minutes

Servings 2 servings

Calories 114kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

• Baking Sheet
• Kitchen Knife
• Cutting Board

Ingredients

• 2 cups carrots peeled and sliced into fries
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp sea salt

Instructions

• Peel carrots and slice to desired thickness. 2 cups carrots
• Toss with olive oil and salt until evenly coated. 1 tbsp olive oil ½ tsp sea salt
• If baking, pre heat oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly spread the carrots on top of the paper. Bake for 12-25 minutes until the carrots are browned and desired crispness.
• If air frying, pre heat the air fryer to 350º. Add the carrots directly in the basket. Toss periodically (every 2-3 minutes) for even cooking. Remove when the tips begin to brown, or when desired crispness is reached.

Notes

21 Day Fix Container Counts: Fill your green container and count as 1 green container and 1 tsp. 

Weight Watchers Points: 2023 Plan: 2 Points | 2 Blue, Green, and Purple Plan Points per serving

Nutrition

Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 651mg | Potassium: 410mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 21384IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Recipe for Baked Carrot Fries appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

I’ve tried tofu many, many ways and have never loved it until I started air frying it. The extra firm tofu gives you a hearty bite and the air fryer allows the tofu to crisp a bit. Several nights a month, we make an easy Stir Fry for dinner that includes these yummy crispy tofu recipe. 

This is a healthier recipe for tofu because of the ingredients and because it’s not made by deep frying. It’s the best tofu we have made and I prefer this method to all others I’ve tried. 

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life, we want everyone to be successful in the kitchen, so we write our recipes to help beginning cooks as well as people who have been cooking for years. In the article below, you’ll find list of ingredients, recipe tips, detailed cooking instructions, and even popular diet information about this recipe. We suggest you read the article below before heading to the recipe to begin. 

If you’ve been cooking for a while you might want to skip the article below and head straight to the recipe below for this Crispy Air Fryer Tofu. It’ll give you to-the-point instructions without all of the extra information.

Ingredients in Crispy Air Fryer Tofu

• Extra Firm Tofu (the type of tofu you buy matters, extra firm is what you need for this)
• Sauce We love this homemade Teriyaki sauce, but I recently discovered Zhong sauce and it’s been our favorite sauce lately!
• Optional: Sesame Seeds

How to make this Easy Air Fryer Tofu

1. Remove the tofu block from the package and drain the liquid in the sink. 
2. Press the excess water from the block of tofu by using a tofu press or a cutting board with paper towels on top and bottom of the tofu and some heavy pots or pans on top. This usually takes 20-30 minutes or so, depending on how aggressive you are with adding weight/tightening the press.
3. Slice into thin strips (1/4 inch strips are what we aim for).  Too thin and the tofu will be chewier and crunchier and will cook faster. 
4. Add the sauce you’d like to marinate the tofu in. I actually stick all of the tofu in an airtight container and add the sauce, then cook half of it and let the other half sit and marinate in the fridge until I’m ready to cook it. It’s perfect for meal prep!
5. Allow the tofu to marinate for 10-20 minutes, or as long as you have until you need to begin cooking. The longer you allow it to marinate, the more flavorful tofu you’ll have.  
6. Spray the bottom of your air fryer basket with some olive oil cooking spray. Add the tofu pieces in a single layer on the bottom of the fryer. 
7. Set air fryer to 375º and cook for 10-20 minutes of cook time, checking on them every 5 minutes. 
8. Flip your tofu pieces over after 10 minutes of cooking time. The bottom always browns a little faster, so flipping helps to get them evenly cooked. 
9. Pull out the tofu pieces when they’re golden brown and drizzle extra sauce on them if needed. Top with sesame seeds, if you’d like.  

Recipe Tips: 

• If you buy tofu and end up not making this recipe right away, you can freeze it right in the package that you bought it in! Just pull it out to thaw on the counter a few hours before you need it again. 
• If you have a few extra minutes and want to level up your tofu, sprinkle corn starch onto the tofu pieces before you air fry them. It makes them extra crispy!
• Don’t crowd your tofu in the air fryer – there won’t be enough space for the hot air to cook the tofu and some will burn while others will be undercooked.
• Cooking tofu isn’t difficult, but it’s much easier to start feeling confident making it when you start with a recipe. I think the most important part is to buy the correct tofu for what you’re making. Silken tofu, for example, isn’t going to air fry well – just like extra-firm tofu won’t make a good replacement for scrambled eggs in a recipe.   
• If you don’t have an air fryer, you can make Crispy Baked Tofu in the oven! I’d set it for the same time and follow the timing above. 

More Sauce Ideas: 

• Soy sauce or Coconut Aminos
• Sesame Oil and Ginger and Garlic powder
• Homemade Peanut Sauce
• Sriracha

What to serve Air Fryer Tofu with:

• Add it to this recipe for Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry Bowls with Coconut Rice
• I love buying the stir fry bags of vegetables at the grocery store. Instead of using the sauce that’s inside, I dump the veggies into a large skillet with a little oil, add extra mushrooms, snow peas, radishes, some coconut rice or cooked plain ramen and top with tofu. 
• Add to the top of Pineapple Fried Rice.  
• I love putting Air Fried Tofu in my Veggie Spring Rolls or on top of a Spring Roll Salad. 
• Use it in your Pad Thai Tofu instead of the Instant Pot version in the recipe -it adds a great texture!

Healthy Eating Plans

Weight Watchers: Each 2 tablespoon serving of the teriyaki sauce is 1 point on the 2023 Plan. Recipe calls for 1/2 cup (16 tablespoons), but most of that won’t be eaten.

21 Day Fix / Portion Fix: Each 3/4 cup serving is counted as 1 Red Container, 1 teaspoon.

More Air Fryer Recipes:

• Air Fryer Eggplant
• Buffalo Cauliflower (with Frozen Cauliflower) 
• Roasted Artichokes
• Air Fryer Turkey Burgers

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Crispy Air Fryer Tofu Recipe

This Crispy Air Fryer Tofu Recipe is a delicious source of protein! Slightly crunchy and chewy, it's a great addition to so many recipes.

Course Main Course, Tofu

Cuisine Asian, Vegetarian

Keyword air fryer, Tofu

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Marinade Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 101kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

• Ninja Foodi
• Tofu Press
• Cutting Board

Ingredients

• 1 14 oz Tofu extra firm
• ½ cup Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
• 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds Optional

Instructions

• Press the excess water from the block of tofu by using a tofu press or a some heavy pots or pans. This usually takes 20-30 minutes or so, depending on how aggressive you are with adding weight/tightening the press. 1 14 oz Tofu
• Slice into thin strips (1/4 inch strips are what we aim for).
• Add the sauce you'd like to marinate the tofu in along with the sliced tofu into a large bowl. ½ cup Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
• Allow the tofu to marinate for 10-20 minutes, or as long as you have until you need to begin cooking. The longer you allow it to marinate, the more flavorful tofu you'll have.  
• Spray the bottom of your air fryer basket with some olive oil cooking spray. Add the tofu pieces in a single layer on the bottom of the fryer. 
• Set air fryer to 375º and cook for 10-20 minutes of cook time, checking on them every 5 minutes. 
• Flip your tofu pieces over after 10 minutes of cooking time. The bottom always browns a little faster, so flipping helps to get them evenly cooked. 
• Pull out the tofu pieces when they're golden brown and drizzle extra sauce on them if needed. Top with sesame seeds, if you'd like. 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds

Nutrition

Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 547mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Crispy Air Fryer Tofu Recipe appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

When I’m looking for healthy snacks, the air fryer is my go-to appliance. Air frying is a great way to get that crispy crunch that I crave mid-afternoon, without the extra calories of an actual fried food. I love that you don’t need bread crumbs or all purpose flour to make an amazing recipe!

Eggplant is a versatile vegetable that can be cooked in a variety of ways. It can be roasted, fried, or even grilled. However, one of the healthiest ways to cook eggplant is in an air fryer. Air fryers use hot air to cook food, which results in a crispy exterior and a tender interior. This method of cooking also uses less oil than traditional frying, making it a healthier option.

This delicious recipe is my favorite way to prepare eggplant. It’s a Weight Watchers air fryer eggplant that also works for the 21 Day Fix or any other healthy eating plan.

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life, we like to make sure that anyone can follow our recipes–whether this is your first time in the kitchen or you’re an experienced cook.

In this article you’ll find ingredient information, step-by-step instructions, plus nutrition facts and healthy eating plan calculations for the 21 Day Fix and Weight Watchers.

If you’d like to skip past that, simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you’ll find the easy to print delicious air fryer eggplant recipe card.

Ingredients for this Healthy Air Fryer Eggplant

• Eggplant: People typically think eggplant is a squash, but it’s actually a nightshade (similar to bell peppers and tomatoes). Eggplant is also a fruit! Eggplant is full of nutrients and antioxidants, and is a great addition to any healthy lifestyle.
• Avocado Oil: I prefer avocado oil for this recipe because it has a much lighter flavor than olive oil, but still has a multitude of health benefits. Avocado oil spray would work well here too.
• Seasoning: Salt, black pepper, and garlic powder are my go to. You can also add Italian seasoning, onion powder or any other favorites, if you’d like.

How to make Healthy Air Fryer Eggplant

1. First preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees f.
2. Next, slice eggplant into square pieces, and then add them to a large bowl.
3. Drizzle your eggplant with avocado oil or a spritz of avocado oil cooking spray. You only need a little oil for this recipe.
4. Top the eggplant with kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add or omit seasonings to your taste preference.
5. Using a spoon or spatula, stir to coat your eggplant with the oil and seasonings.
6. Finally, add the seasoned diced eggplant to your preheated air fryer, and set your air fryer cook time for 25 minutes.
7. Shake your eggplant every 5 five minutes, during the cooking time, to promote even cooking.
8. You will know the eggplant is done when it is golden brown and soft.
9. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. This is definitely one of those recipes that I enjoy more right after it’s been cooked.

Recipe Tips

• How should I slice my eggplant? For my air fryer, I have found that 1 inch square eggplant pieces yield the best results. You can use slices of eggplant and air fry in a single layer, but you will likely have to batch cook since only a couple of eggplant slices will fit in the bottom of the air fryer basket at once.The size and way you cut your eggplant completely depends on the size of your air fryer.
• You can adjust the seasonings to your preference.
• Top with Parmesan cheese and marinara sauce for a healthy air fryer eggplant Parmesan!
• This is my favorite side dish with burgers. The eggplant fries are a perfect healthy substitute for french fries since they are made with less oil.
• If you have a convection oven, you can use that for this recipe. Turn it to the Convection Bake or Convection Roast setting and enjoy oven roasted eggplant.
• Serve the eggplant with your favorite sauce or toppings, such as marinara sauce, pizza sauce, or curry sauce. Don’t forget to adjust your healthy eating plan points or containers if you make any changes.

Healthy Eating Plans

Weight Watchers

Weight Watchers healthy air fryer eggplant points were figured using the WW website and following the recipe exactly. Serving sizes will vary depending on the size of your eggplant–my eggplant filled about 2 cups after it was cut. All the ingredients, aside from avocado oil, are zero points.

Per serving (1 cup):

 2023 Points: 2 | Blue Plan Points: 2 | Green Plan Points: 2 | Purple Plan Points: 2

21 Day Fix /Ultimate Portion Fix

Portion sizes of this 21 Day Fix Healthy Air Fryer Eggplant will vary based on the size of your eggplant. My eggplant was about 2 cups.

For the entire recipe: 2 Green Containers, 1 1/2 Teaspoons.

Per Serving (1 cup): 1 Green Container, 3/4 Teaspoons.

More healthy air fryer recipes

• Air Fryer Artichokes with Dipping Sauce
• Healthy Buffalo Chicken Roll Ups
• How to Air Fry Frozen Vegetables
• How to make Frozen Cauliflower in the Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Baked Apple Slices
• Healthy Bagel Recipe (in the air fryer!)

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Healthy Air Fryer Eggplant

This air-fried eggplant is a healthy side dish, made with simple ingredients that you are going to love!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword air fryer, eggplant

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Calories 123kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

• Ninja Foodi
• Kitchen Knife
• Cutting Board

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant medium
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• ½ tsp black pepper ground
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp garlic powder

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your air fryer to 350º
• Cut your eggplant into 1 inch cubes. 1 eggplant
• Toss eggplant with avocado oil, pepper, salt, and garlic powder. 1 tbsp avocado oil ½ tsp black pepper ¼ tsp salt ½ tsp garlic powder
• Add the eggplant to your air fryer and set the time for 25 minutes.
• Shake your eggplant every 5 minutes.
• Eggplant is done when it is golden brown and soft.

Notes

• You can adjust seasonings to your preference.
• Top with Parmesan cheese and marinara for a healthy eggplant Parmesan.
• This is my favorite side dish with burgers. The eggplant is a perfect healthy substitute for fries.

Healthy Eating Plans:

Weight Watchers: Points were figured using the WW website. Following the recipe exactly. Serving sizes will vary depending on the size of your eggplant. All the ingredients aside from avocado oil are zero points. Each 1 cup serving counts as 2023 Points: 2 |  Blue Plan Points: 2 | Green Plan Points: 2 | Purple Plan Points: 2

21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix: Portion sizes will vary based on the size of your eggplant, mine yielded about 2 cups of eggplant.

For the entire recipe: 2 Green Containers, 1 1/2 Teaspoons.

Per Serving (1 cup): 1 Green Container 3/4 Teaspoons.

Nutrition

Serving: 1c | Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 540mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Healthy Air Fryer Eggplant appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

This recipe is a spin off my healthy buffalo chicken dip. I used the Ninja Foodi Air Crisp mode for this recipe, and you can use any air fryer or oven to cook yours.

Ingredients in Buffalo Chicken Roll Ups

• chicken breast, sliced into cutlets and flattened
• Shamrock Farms Cottage Cheese, rinsed
• ranch dressing seasonings (in printable recipe, below)
• hot sauce (I used Frank’s hot sauce, not Buffalo wing sauce)
• cheddar cheese
• powdered chili pepper, black pepper
• spinach
• Egg/water/milk to help the breadcrumbs stick
• whole wheat breadcrumbs

How to make Buffalo Chicken Roll Ups:

1. Fillet your chicken Slice breasts in half to make thin chicken cutlets. Pro Tip: If you’re in a hurry or not excited about rolling these up, an alternate prep method is to slice a pocket in the chicken and stuff the ingredients inside.
2. Tenderize Take a meat tenderizer and flatten the chicken as much as you can. This makes it easier to roll. I place parchment paper on top of the chicken and use the flat side of the tenderizer.
3. Make your filling In a food processor, mix together your cottage cheese and spices. Blending the cottage cheese like this makes it smooth. Add in the hot sauce and pulse again to mix it together.
   Tip: If you’re using a blender for this step, I’d add it all together so the cottage cheese doesn’t get stuck below the blades.
4. Add the cheese Remove blade from food processor (or put mixture in a bowl) and add cheese. Mix well.
5. Season the chicken Sprinkle a little bit of black pepper and chili pepper on top of the chicken–if you’d rather not have the extra spice, skip this step.
6. Add the spinach Place spinach leaves on top of the chicken.
7. Add cottage cheese mixture Place the cottage cheese mixture on top of the spinach. Make it a thick layer, as you’ll end up losing a bit in the cooking process.
8. Roll it up Gently roll up your chicken. While you want these to be secure, you don’t want them to be rolled too tight so the cottage cheese mixture comes out the sides. Gentle but firm is the key.
9. Secure the roll ups Add a toothpick into the roll ups so they don’t unroll.
10. Optional: Brush with egg or water This is an optional step. Brushing something in egg helps the breadcrumbs stick. Some people like to use water or milk, but I generally use an egg to coat the chicken roll up.
11. Bread the chicken It’s time for the breading! I use my homemade wheat breadcrumbs, but you could use whatever you like best. To minimize the amount of filling that “escapes,” I like to place these in the bowl of breadcrumbs and gently roll and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on the chicken.
12. Cook the roll ups Place the chicken roll ups in your air fryer or oven. In the Ninja Foodi, I cooked these on Air Crisp at 375º for 20 minutes. Internal temperature for cooked chicken is 165º, but these are a little difficult to measure because of the filling. I think use your best judgement for these and maybe cut into one to see.
13. Oven Directions In the oven, cook these at 350º for 20 minutes, taking note of the above thoughts about the temperature.

I add a few extra veggies to my plate when I make this meal–the spinach in the roll ups isn’t enough for me. I love plating these with a bed of spinach under them, and raw veggies are a quick and easy way for me to get veggies in when I’m making a recipe that requires more than a few minutes.

Why cottage cheese?

Cottage cheese is high in protein and a good source of calcium–13 grams of protein for 1/2 cup, and 110mg of calcium! Calcium helps with bone health and can be a great addition to your weight loss menu. Cottage cheese is low in carbs and fat, making it perfect for your low carb diet.

How to lower the sodium in cottage cheese:

Cottage cheese is a bit high in sodium for several reasons–sodium is used to enhance the flavor, it helps with the texture, and is a preservative. You can lower the sodium in cottage cheese by rinsing it out under a strainer. When I do this, I like to blend the cottage cheese in a food processor as well.

On days when I make a recipe like these buffalo chicken roll ups, I make sure to drink plenty of water and avoid other high sodium foods.

Shamrock Farms Cottage Cheese

We prefer our local brand, Shamrock Farms, when we eat cottage cheese and other dairy products. The smooth, creamy texture and always fresh products are what we have come to expect and love from Shamrock Farms, and we love that they offer both traditional and low fat cottage cheeses.

Shamrock Farms recently updated their packaging, so make sure to look for the new green lid at your local grocery store!

Shamrock Farms cares for their family farm cows with a state of the art farm and doesn’t use growth hormones (like rBST). Shamrock Farms provides their cows with nutritious diets, healthy living conditions, and medical care and is proud of their Arizona farm–they invite the public to tour it daily.

More delicious Buffalo Chicken recipes

• Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
• Buffalo Chicken Dip without Cream Cheese
• These air fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are one of my favorite recipes!

Healthy Eating Plans:

21 Day Fix:

Counts for this entire recipe are 5 1/4 red containers, 3 yellow containers, 1 blue container, and 1/2 green container. This doesn’t include the egg if you used it, because you’ll end up using about 1/8 of one egg for each roll up.

One fourth of this recipe is 1 1/3 red container, 3/4 yellow container, 1/4 blue container, and a negligible green container.

2B Mindset: For lunch, eat this chicken with some extra veggies on your plate. For dinner, you’ll want to skip the breading and eat 1/2 a piece of chicken along with a large salad or veggies on the side.

Weight Watchers Points:

One fourth of this recipe is 6 Blue Plan Points | 8 Green Points | 6 Purple Points | 6 2023 Points using 2% cottage cheese, and whole wheat breadcrumbs.

Trim Healthy Mama:

This one is a great THM-S meal, but I’d substitute the whole wheat bread crumbs for Ezekiel or sprouted whole wheat bread and maybe top with a little blue cheese?

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Buffalo Chicken Roll Ups with Cottage Cheese

These Buffalo Chicken Roll Ups with cottage cheese are an easy dinner recipe that your family will love! Cottage cheese, spinach, and hot sauce with ranch seasonings make for a spicy, creamy, crispy recipe that will be a family favorite in no time!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword buffalo chicken

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 408kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

• Ninja Foodi
• Kitchen Knife
• Food processor

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds chicken breast cutlets (I used four cutlets)
• 1 cup cottage cheese rinsed
• 3/4 tsp dill
• 3/4 tsp onion powder
• 3/4 tsp parsley
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/3 cup cheddar jack cheese shredded
• 1/4 tsp black pepper or chili pepper optional
• 12 pieces spinach (2-3 for each piece of chicken)
• 1 egg optional, for helping breadcrumbs stick
• 1.5 cups breadcrumbs whole wheat
• ½ cup hot sauce I used Frank's

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Fillet your chicken to make cutlets–I sliced mine in half. Take a meat tenderizer and flatten the chicken as much as you can. This makes it easier to roll. I place parchment paper on top of the chicken and use the flat side of the tenderizer. 1 1/4 pounds chicken breast
• In a food processor, mix together your cottage cheese and spices. Blending the cottage cheese like this makes it smooth. Add in the hot sauce and pulse again to mix it together. 

  If you're using a blender for this step, I'd add it all together at first so the cottage cheese doesn't get stuck below the blades.  1 cup cottage cheese, 3/4 tsp dill, 3/4 tsp onion powder, 3/4 tsp parsley, 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• Remove blade from food processor (or put mixture in a bowl) and add cheese. Mix well. 1/3 cup cheddar jack cheese
• Sprinkle a little bit of black pepper and chili pepper on top of the chicken–if you'd rather not have the extra spice, skip this step. 1/4 tsp black pepper or chili pepper
• Place spinach leaves on top of chicken. 12 pieces spinach
• Place cottage cheese mixture on top of the spinach. Make it a thick layer, as you'll end up losing a bit in the cooking process. 
• Gently roll up your chicken. While you want these to be secure, you don't want them to be rolled too tight so the cottage cheese mixture comes out the sides. Gentle but firm is the key.
• This is an optional step that I wanted to show you. Brushing something in egg helps the breadcrumbs stick. Some people like to use water or milk, but I generally use an egg to coat the chicken roll up. 1 egg
• It's time for the breading! I use my homemade wheat breadcrumbs, but you could use whatever you like best. To minimize the amount of filling that "escapes," I like to place these in the bowl of breadcrumbs and gently roll and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on the chicken. 1.5 cups breadcrumbs
• Cook the chicken roll ups until the internal temperature reaches 165 ºF. If cooking in the oven, set to 350º for 20 minutes. If using an air fryer or Ninja Foodi, cook at 375º for 20 minutes.
• Serve with extra hot sauce or by itself! ½ cup hot sauce

Notes

Rinsing cottage cheese can remove up to 50% of the sodium in it. These nutrition facts reflect the rinsed cottage cheese. There is a link in the post above about this if you’d like to read more. 

Nutrition

Calories: 408kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 1545mg | Potassium: 722mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 187mg | Iron: 3mg

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Shamrock Farms. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Buffalo Chicken Roll Ups with Cottage Cheese appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

These Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are so easy to make and are the perfect appetizer, snack, or side dish. They are low in carbs and high in protein when you use nutritional yeast as breading. Even those who don’t love vegetables will eat these up–I’ve seen it happen in my own kitchen.

If you don’t have an air fryer, I’ve got you covered. There are oven directions below as well.

Where’s the recipe?

I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen, and I want everyone to be able to cook my recipes with ease.

To better serve all of my readers here at My Crazy Good Life, I put a ton of helpful information in all of my posts so everyone can cook these recipes–whether you’re new to the kitchen or someone who has been cooking for years.

If you’re new in the kitchen, read the post below before heading to the recipe at the bottom of the post. You’ll find detailed ingredient and cooking information along with important recipe tips.

If you’re experienced in the kitchen, skip the details, recipe tips, and healthy eating plan information and scroll to the bottom where you’ll find the printable recipe for Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites.

Ingredients in Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings

• Frozen cauliflower florets: You can use fresh cauliflower, but I actually prefer frozen. The moisture seems to help the batter stick, and I can always count on finding it in my freezer. I tend to leave out the smaller florets that would probably just fall through my air fryer basket, and just use the large pieces.
• Olive oil spray: (optional) This helps your batter stick to the cauliflower and not to your air fryer.  
• Hot sauce: My go to is Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (not buffalo sauce, not wing saucee, because the ingredients in the Original version are better), but any hot sauce you prefer works.  
• Nutritional yeast: An inactive yeast with a cheesy and nutty flavor that is common in vegan recipes. This isn’t required, as you can make your air fryer frozen cauliflower with no breading or breadcrumbs, or with something like panko. 

How to make this Buffalo Cauliflower Recipe in the Air Fryer

These take about 25 minutes to make, but the cooking time will change depending on if you use fresh or frozen cauliflower and how many batches it takes to cook them in your air fryer.

1. Set your air fryer to 400 degrees F or medium high.
2. Pour 2 cups of cauliflower florets into a large mixing bowl. Spray liberally with cooking spray or toss with melted butter, shaking to coat the cauliflower on all sides. Add frank’s red hot sauce.
3. Toss and stir until all of your cauliflower is coated with hot sauce.
4. Add nutritional yeast and toss one last time. As I mentioned above, you can also use bread crumbs or crushed crackers.
5. Add the cauliflower in a single layer to the air fryer basket and set the cook timer for 20 minutes. Don’t overpack the air fryer, as the hot air has to travel around the cauliflower to cook it. Gently toss your cauliflower every 5 minutes to promote even cooking and browning.
6. The cauliflower will take 10-15 minutes to cook.
7. Your cauliflower should be nicely browned and crispy when it’s ready to eat. If it seems soggy, continue cooking in 5 minute increments. Different air fryers yield different results, so yours might take more or less time.
8. Use tongs to carefully remove the cauliflower when it’s lightly browned and crispy.

How to make Buffalo Cauliflower in the Oven

1. Turn oven to 400º F.
2. Follow steps 2-4 above and then place thawed or raw cauliflower on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
3. Bake for 10-15 minutes, then use a set of tongs to turn the cauliflower over and cook in 5 minute increments until golden brown.

Healthy Eating Plans

• Weight Watchers: The entire recipe is 4 Blue Plan Points | 4 Green Plan Points | 4 Purple Plan Points l The points for the new 2022/2023 points plan is 1.
• Keto: This entire recipe is low carb. It contains only 4g of carbohydrates.
• Whole 30: Be sure and check the ingredients on your hot sauce and oil, but with the right ones these are compliant.
• 21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix: The entire recipe is 2 Green Containers and ½ Red Container. Nutritional yeast is free in small amounts, but for the amount used in this recipe I’d count it towards your daily red container. 
• 2B Mindset: This recipe is a delicious side dish for a veggies most diet!

More Easy air fryer recipes

• Roasted Artichokes with Dipping Sauce
• Air Fryer Broccoli
• Air Fryer Eggplant
• Air Fryer Ranch Turkey Burgers
• How to cook apples in the air fryer
• Ranch Pretzels

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Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower from Raw or Frozen

This Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower can be cooked from raw or frozen cauliflower! It's a low carb snack or side dish. Instructions for baking this Buffalo Cauliflower are also included.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword air fryer, buffalo cauliflower, buffalo chicken, low carb, vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Calories 87kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

• Nutritional Yeast
• Ninja Foodi
• Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

• 2 cups cauliflower frozen florets, thawed, or raw
• olive oil spray or butter
• ½ cup hot sauce I use Frank's regular hot sauce, not buffalo sauce.
• ¾ cup nutritional yeast or panko breadcrumbs (optional)

Instructions

Air Fryer Instructions

• Set your air fryer to 400° F.
• Pour 2 cups of cauliflower florets into a large mixing bowl. Spray liberally with cooking spray or toss with melted butter, shaking to coat the cauliflower on all sides. Add frank's red hot sauce. 2 cups cauliflower, olive oil spray, ½ cup hot sauce
• Toss and stir until all of your cauliflower is coated with hot sauce.
• Add nutritional yeast and toss one last time.You can also use bread crumbs or crushed crackers. ¾ cup nutritional yeast
• Add the cauliflower in a single layer to the air fryer basket and set the cook timer for 20 minutes. Don't overpack the air fryer, as the hot air has to travel around the cauliflower to cook it. Gently toss your cauliflower every 5 minutes to promote even cooking and browning.
• The cauliflower will take 10-15 minutes to cook.
• Your cauliflower should be nicely browned and crispy when it's ready to eat. If it seems soggy, continue cooking in 5 minute increments. Different air fryers yield different results, so yours might take more or less time.
• Remove the cauliflower when it's slightly browned and crispy.

Oven Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 400°F.
• Pour 2 cups of cauliflower into a large bowl. Spray liberally with cooking spray, shaking to make sure it is well coated on all sides, then add your hot sauce. Toss and stir until all of your cauliflower is coated with hot sauce, then add your nutritional yeast and toss one last time.
• Transfer your cauliflower to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until browned and crispy.

Notes

Healthy Eating Plans:

• Weight Watchers: The entire recipe is 1 2023 Point | 4 Blue Plan Points | 4 Green Plan Points | 4 Purple Plan Points
• Keto: This entire recipe is low carb. It contains only 4g of carbohydrates.
• Whole 30: Be sure and check the ingredients on your hot sauce and oil, but with the right ones these are compliant.
• 21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix: The entire recipe is 2 Green Containers and ½ Red Container. Nutritional yeast is free in small amounts, but for the amount used in this recipe I’d count it towards your daily red container. 
• 2B Mindset: This recipe is a delicious side dish for a veggies most diet!

Recipe tips

• If your cauliflower was cooked from frozen and seems soggy, it needs to cook longer. This is a normal part of the cooking process when you use frozen veggies.
• For breaded cauliflower, if you don’t have nutritional yeast you can use panko bread crumbs, regular bread crumbs, or crushed crackers in its place. But, I have to mention that I highly recommend the nutritional yeast. It gives it the authentic melted butter buffalo taste.  
• Missing something? You can sprinkle some garlic powder or homemade ranch seasonings (<- like in this pretzel recipe) on top of your cauliflower before cooking if you’d like something extra.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, if you feel it needs it. 
• I love to serve this just as I’d serve traditional chicken wings, with celery sticks and carrots. You can dip these Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Wings in your favorite dipping sauce: BBQ sauce, creamy blue cheese dressing, or even homemade ranch dressing made with sour cream.
• This recipe is best eaten the same day–they get a little soggy for meal prep.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 87kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1870mg | Potassium: 629mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

I love hosting my family and friends – it’s one of the greatest things I look forward to during the holiday season. I also love being in control of my healthy Thanksgiving menu. My guests are so gracious and ask what they can bring – selfishly, I send them one of my favorite My Crazy Good Life recipes.  

In the past, Thanksgiving has been a stressful holiday for me – so many heavy and unhealthy options – which really hindered my healthy eating goals. Over the past few holidays, I’ve made it my goal to create delicious recipes that aren’t lacking in satisfaction or flavor.  

This year, I’m helping to simplify your big day and sharing all of the details on what I’ll be enjoying this Thanksgiving Day. 

Thanksgiving Appetizers

No one wants a hangry guest – or a hangry host. I always manage to make a few appetizers ahead of time to help entertain people while I’m making the last minute touches on the rest of my meal. This year I’m serving three appetizers packed with flavor to provide a little bit of a variety in taste for all of my guests. 

Baked Blooming Onion with Spicy Dipping Sauce

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This healthy blooming onion recipe is gluten free and baked or air fried. You get all the crunch and flavor without sacrificing your healthy lifestyle. I’ve even whipped up a spicy dipping sauce that you’re going to love!

Spicy Mexican Corn Dip

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Sometimes called Fiesta Corn Dip, this warm dip is made with fiesta corn, spicy peppers, shredded cheese, and trust me on this one–cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, blended together to make a protein packed creamy dip.

I’d say that this hot Corn Dip is good, or easy, or popular–but seriously, it’s all three. And it’s gotten a healthy makeover!

Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip

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This healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe with Greek yogurt is an easy appetizer! Make this Skinny Artichoke Dip in the Instant Pot, Crockpot, or on the stove and serve it hot or cold–your choice. Full of veggies and protein from greek yogurt, it’s one of our most requested party appetizers.

The Main Meat Dish

This year, I’ll be making my Perfect Instant Pot Turkey Breast. Thanksgiving doesn’t quite seem the same without the classic Turkey – however, I’m not committed enough to stand by the stove all day long basting. 

This recipe is the perfect way for me to serve the traditional fresh flavor of a turkey without the time commitment. If you are looking for the more traditional route of turkey cooking, I have a great guide for you that shares 10 Ways to Cook a Turkey.

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Thanksgiving is all about enjoying all of the flavors. Unpopular opinion? I think the side dishes hold more value in the meal than the main meat dish! I’ve planned out five delicious side dishes for my guests. (Don’t worry, a few of them are being cooked by my guests!)

Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

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Our sweet potato casserole is gluten-free and made with wholesome ingredients like roasted sweet potatoes, coconut milk, almond flour, and coconut sugar – no refined brown sugar or white sugar in this recipe!

This is the best sweet potato casserole recipe I’ve ever enjoyed, and it’s a healthier version than the classic potato casserole. This will hands down be your new perfect Thanksgiving side dish.

Roasted Teriyaki Brussels Sprouts

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Our Crispy Oven Roasted Teriyaki Brussels Sprouts recipe will give you an instant flavor bomb of goodness while enjoying a healthy side dish. We’re confident that after trying this recipe with real and simple ingredients, you too will be a huge fan of roasted Brussels sprouts!

Vegan Cauliflower Stuffing

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I love the flavors of traditional Thanksgiving stuffing, however I wanted a low-carb stuffing with simple ingredients. After much recipe testing in the kitchen, I am thrilled to report back the end result – a low-carb cauliflower stuffing packed with fresh vegetables and flavor.

My hands-down favorite food of the day is traditional stuffing–so on my plate, you’ll find traditional stuffing right alongside this cauliflower stuffing. It’s a great way to get all the flavors you crave in a healthier way.

Rosemary Smashed Potatoes with Garlic

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These Rosemary Smashed Potatoes with garlic are so easy to make! Steam, season, smash, and bake! That’s really all there is to this recipe. It’s so simple  but filled with the traditional complex flavors of Thanksgiving potatoes. 

Air Fryer Veggies

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I’m always looking for a way to not overcrowd the oven on Thanksgiving. This year, I’ll be air-frying my vegetables. I plan on using frozen broccoli and frozen cauliflower to simplify my grocery shopping – no need to worry about not being able to find these fresh vegetables when grocery store shelves might be running low.

Thanksgiving Cocktails

I love having cocktails ready ahead of time for my guests – it takes the awkward guesswork out of what people will want to drink, and still provides them with a few options on hand.  

Cranberry Margarita

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I’m 100% convinced that you can create a margarita for every occasion throughout the entire year. Thanksgiving is well known for the cranberry flavors, twist that in with a delicious margarita, and you have – the skinny Cranberry Margarita.   

It’s the perfect balance between healthy and indulgent. No added sugar or artificial sweeteners, no syrups, but full of flavor and natural sweetness with about 100 calories.

Apple Cider Margarita Shooters

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Now that fall is upon us the leaves are changing, the nights are getting cool, and you might think that margarita season is fading away…I won’t let that happen! 

Apple Cider Margarita Shooters have just enough of that fall zing that I crave on occasion and all the kick of my favorite margarita recipes. The best of both worlds all rolled up into one. This is a cocktail that I often serve while hosting during the cooler months.

Thanksgiving Desserts

You can’t have a Thanksgiving meal without a few sweet treats at the end of the night. This used to be the most stressful part of the meal for me, so many sweets to choose from. I would always go a bit overboard and would unintentionally sabotage my healthy eating goals.

There is no need to miss out on dessert – and I truly believe that food can still taste good and be healthy for you. I’m serving three of my incredibly flavorful desserts this year, and have no stress about eating them while staying in line with my health goals.

Healthy Buckeyes

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My healthy recipe for Buckeyes doesn’t contain any shortening, powdered sugar, or oils. Just four ingredients in this delicious homemade peanut butter cup recipe.

These gluten free healthy Peanut Butter Buckeyes are a protein-packed way to satisfy a chocolate and peanut butter craving! These peanut butter balls, or buckeyes, combine dark chocolate chips (I use dairy free), creamy peanut butter, sweet honey, and coconut flour together for a delicious and not too sweet treat.

Lime Coconut Bites

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I love offsetting the traditional flavors of a Thanksgiving meal with a light and tart dessert option. Our Lime Coconut Bites are a delicious and simple dessert recipe for those of you looking for a little sweetness. 

There’s no added sugar in this recipe, and just four simple ingredients–lime, coconut, coconut oil, and honey. This is a vegan, gluten free, no bake dessert that your family will love.

No Bake Coconut Mocha Bars

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This had me at no bake. A dessert that doesn’t require baking on one of the busiest days for a kitchen is a huge win. I love how simple these bars are to throw together at the last minute. 

Everything comes straight from my pantry, but they’re still healthy–it’s a win win. No brown sugar, no refined sugar or store bought chocolate–we’re talking honey, coffee (if you want it), vanilla, coconut oil, and coconut powder.

Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

Imagine the day after Thanksgiving, where you just might have some leftovers in your kitchen ready to be repurposed into another incredible meal.  

It doesn’t happen too often in my house, but when it does I am here for it.  I love a good leftover – it still holds the fresh flavors of yesterday, without the hassle of long cooking times.  

Here’s what I’m planning to do with some of my leftovers:

Turkey Cranberry Lettuce Wraps

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Made with sliced leftover turkey, a quick homemade cranberry sauce, and creamy Greek yogurt. These wraps make an easy lunch or quick dinner the day after Thanksgiving.

Homemade Turkey Soup

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If you do decide to go the traditional route of cooking a whole turkey, this recipe is a must for all of your leftovers. This easy leftover turkey soup is perfect after a holiday! Warming turkey bone broth, vegetables, and some noodles is all it takes.

In the past, we’ve frozen this soup and reheat it on really *cold* winter nights.  It’s a hearty soup packed with nutrients. 

Your Thanksgiving Meal Plan

Creating and cooking healthy recipes is a huge part of my daily job.  I thrive on cooking healthy meals for my family.  This might not be the case for you, and don’t worry, I can help.  

Here at My Crazy Good Life, we want you to be confident and successful in the kitchen.  We want to give you all the tools to help as much as we can.  

This entire Thanksgiving meal can be planned on our website with a printable grocery list!  Head on over to our easy meal prep planner which teaches you exactly how to create your meal plan and grocery list on our website.

The post My Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes (from my kitchen) appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

There might be “skinnier” bagels out there, like the two ingredient bagel or others made with Greek yogurt or cream cheese, baking powder, or other ingredients. I remember trying one a few years ago and not being impressed with the texture or the taste–it’s just not similar enough to a traditional bagel. These recipes all yielded overly chewy bagels that didn’t quite taste or feel right.

With a lot of trial and error, I’ve managed to create a delicious and healthy bagel that all of my family enjoys. The best part about these whole wheat bagels is that you can make them easily in your own kitchen on your stovetop and oven, in the Ninja Foodi, or in your Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker.

Where’s the Recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we write our recipes so everyone can follow them. We love it when our readers feel comfortable, confident, and successful in the kitchen. The post below includes a step-by-step guide, recipe tips, and healthy eating information.

If you’d like to skip past the ingredient details, recipe tips, nutritional and healthy eating guides, simply scroll down to the bottom where you’ll find the easy to print Whole Wheat Bagel recipe.

Ingredients in these Homemade Healthy Bagels

• Whole Wheat Flour: I use regular whole wheat flour, not bread flour or white whole wheat flour. Wheat is a great source of fiber. These complex carbohydrates, or slow burning carbs, will keep you full longer.
• Salt
• Instant Yeast: instant yeast is key here.
• Sugar: sugar helps the dough rise.
• Warm water
• Cornmeal
• Egg: an egg and water mixture is used to brush on the boiled bagels before putting any toppings on. If you’re allergic to egg, or prefer not to eat it, you can use plain water.
• Bagel toppings: I enjoy sesame seeds and poppy seeds.
• Oil: you’ll need a little oil (olive or avocado will work) to coat the inner liner of your pot).

How to make wheat bagels in the Ninja Foodi

I’m loving my Ninja Foodi, and making the bagels in the Ninja Foodi is a breeze. There are two main steps to any bagel after allowing the dough to rise–boiling and baking. You can use your Foodi to boil using the pressure cooker and sauté feature, and then bake them using the air fryer/bake function.

1. Allow dough to rise

1. Mix yeast with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of warm water. Loosely cover with a tea towel and set it to the side for a few minutes. You’ll be looking for some bubbles at the top to know it’s ready–it should take about five minutes.
2. Mix together salt and flour. After you notice the yeast mixture beginning to bubble, add it to the salt and flour mixture along with the rest of your warm water.
3. Place your dough on a floured work surface and knead it for a few minutes. You’re looking for it to stop sticking to your hands. If it’s super sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems dry, add a bit of water.
4. Add the olive oil (or generously spray the olive oil) to the inner liner of your pot.
5. Place your dough ball inside the pot. Rub the dough on the bottom of the pot so both the top and bottom are coated with a bit of oil. Place a light towel on top of the dough to help it rise.
6. Turn your Foodi to dehydrate and set the temp to 105 degrees. Set a timer and allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.

2. Form bagels and allow to rise again

1. While the dough is rising, get your toppings ready and place some cornmeal on the counter.
2. After 30 minutes, pull your dough out of the pot and place it on your counter. Quickly fill up your Foodi with water about halfway, set your pressure cooker for 5 minutes and then press start. Allow the water to boil while you’re forming the bagels. This will take about 20 minutes total so you can save significant time by starting this step as soon as the dough is out of the pot.
3. Divide the dough up into 6, 8, or 10 pieces. (see recipe tips for calorie breakdown)
4. Shape the bagel dough into circles by rolling out thin strips and securing them at the ends or by making a round ball and poking a hole through the center of the ball of dough.
5. Place the wheat bagels on the counter and put a thin kitchen towel over them. Allow them to rest for 15 minutes or so.

3. Boil the bagels

1. After the water comes to pressure, press sauté and allow the water to boil.
2. Place a few bagels at a time into the boiling water, and allow them to boil for 3 minutes, then flip and allow to cook for 2-3 more minutes. When they’re done, pull them out with big tongs or a large slotted spoon that can cover the entire bagel (using small ones might make your bagels break in half).
3. Place them on a wire rack while you boil the rest of the bagels.

Pro Tip: If you’re making multiple types of homemade healthy bagels, boil the plain ones first and then the seasoned ones. For example, cinnamon raisin bagel dough will make the water taste of cinnamon. Boil your plain bagels first, then the cinnamon raisin ones.

4. Top the bagels

1. Mix up your egg and add 2 tablespoons of water. Brush the egg mixture onto your boiled bagels to help the toppings stick. I brush both sides, because I hate sitting down to eat a bagel and being sad that only one side has flavor. Don’t you?
2. Dip your wheat bagels into the toppings. Be sure to dip both sides for maximum flavor!
3. To make sure all the toppings are evenly distributed, roll in seasoning, and then use a spoon to sprinkle any seasonings over the top of the bagels that you might have missed.

Tip: If you are allergic to eggs, water will work fine for this step. I’d recommend brushing one at a time with water, then topping.

5. Bake the bagels

1. Once your bagels are topped, use your air fryer rack inside the Foodi and place 2-3 bagels at a time on the rack. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Keep checking to make sure they don’t burn. Once they are a golden brown color you can take them out of the oven.
2. Let your bagels cool. If you’re not planning on eating these homemade healthy bagels right away, you’ll want to freeze them for freshness, as they have no preservatives in them. Freeze the leftover bagels individually so they don’t stick together.

How to make Instant Pot bagels

An Instant Pot or any other electric pressure cooker can be used to warm the dough to help it rise, and then also used to boil the bagels. You’ll need either an air fryer or an oven to bake the bagels after you boil them. You could also use a Mealthy CrispLid with your electric pressure cooker.

You’ll follow the step-by-step guide above, but with a few slight changes.

1. Allow dough to rise: Set your Instant Pot to the normal yogurt setting, or use the keep warm function.
2. Form bagels and allow to rise again
3. Boil the bagels
4. Top the bagels
5. Bake the bagels: Bake in the oven or air fryer at 350º for 4-5 minutes, then flip and bake for 4-5 more minutes.

How to make homemade healthy bagels in the stove/oven

Using your stove to boil the bagels and your oven to bake them is a great way to make these skinny bagels. You’ll use most of the techniques used in the directions above, with only a few minor changes when making them in the stove/oven.

1. Allow dough to rise: Place the dough in a large bowl and cover it with a thin towel. Allow to rise for 30 minutes. If you can get your oven warm for a few minutes and let the bowl of dough rise in there that’s best. Just set the oven to turn on for 2-3 minutes, then turn it off.
2. Form bagels and allow to rise again 
3. Boil the bagels: Boil the bagels in a large pot of water on the stove. Boil the shaped bagels using the same technique referenced above.
4. Top the bagels
5. Bake the bagels: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the bagels in the preheated oven on a large baking sheet and bake for 4-5 minutes, then flip and bake for 4-5 more minutes. If you have a convection oven, take advantage of that feature!

Recipe tips

• Calorie breakdown: 6 bagels will make each one about 208 calories, 8 bagels will make each one about 156 calories, and 10 bagels will make each one about 125 calories.
• If your bagels are coming out flat, make sure that you allowed the dough to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes (for instant yeast). Go back through your ingredients–are you sure that you added sugar to the yeast instead of salt?
• If the dough rose, but the bagels ended up flat after the baking process, is could be possible that you didn’t allow the bagels to boil in the hot water long enough.
• These bagels are not gluten-free.
• The bagel toppings are endless. There are so many options to choose from. I prefer the classic everything bagels. I buy the seasoning from Costco and the bagels are always delicious.
• If I’m making only sweet flavored bagels like cinnamon raisin, blueberry, strawberry, etc, I’ll add dry spices (like cinnamon and raisins) to the dough before it rises for the first time. Then I’ll add some honey to the dough along with my wet toppings after they rise the first time.
• If you’re following a specific diet that requires you to count your sweeteners, like the 21 Day Fix or Weight Watchers, you can easily add your chosen amount of honey and fruit to your bagels depending on how much you want. For example, I add 1 teaspoon of honey to each cinnamon raisin bagel, along with some raisins.
• Bagels can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days, but the freezer is the best choice for keeping them delicious the longest. These bagels are preservative free so they won’t last as long as the store bought bagels.
• If freezing: Allow the bagels to cool completely, cut the bagels in half, and place parchment paper or plastic wrap in between cooled bagels when freezing.

Healthy Eating Plans

Portion Fix

When you divide this recipe to make 10 bagels, each one of these whole wheat bagels counts as one yellow container. If you add honey, raisins, or other sweeteners or fruits to your bagel dough, you’ll want to add that into your counts.

Weight Watchers

When dividing this recipe to make 10 bagels, each bagel counts as 3 points on the 2023 Plan, Blue, Green, and Purple plans. If you add honey, raisins, or other sweeteners or fruits to your dough, make sure to recalculate the points on the Weight Watchers website.

More Healthy Breakfast Recipes

• Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole
• Zucchini and Sausage Breakfast Casserole
• 2 Ingredient Banana Pancake Recipe
• Healthy Breakfast Fried Rice Recipe
• Healthy Starbucks Copycat Egg Bite Recipe
• Baked Banana Oatmeal Recipe
• Homemade Crunchy Granola Recipe

Print

Homemade Healthy Bagels

These homemade healthy bagels are delicious and satisfying and have the same properties of a real New York City bagel–they’re dense, chewy, and delicious. If you’ve been wondering how to make wheat bagels, you’re going to love this recipe and making your own budget-friendly bagels at home!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword skinny bagels, wheat bagels

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Resting time & prep: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 10 bagels

Calories 113kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

• Ninja Foodi
• Silpat Mat
• Metal Pan for Oven

Ingredients

• 1 package instant yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup warm water divided
• 1 tsp salt
• 2.5 cups whole wheat flour
• cornmeal for dusting the counter
• oil olive or avocado for coating the inner liner of your pot.
• 1 egg

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

How to make wheat bagels in the Ninja Foodi:

• Allow dough to rise:
• Mix your instant yeast with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of warm water. Loosely cover and set it to the side for a few minutes. You'll be looking for some bubbles at the top to know it's ready–it should take about five minutes. 1 package instant yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 cup warm water
• Mix together salt and flour. After you notice the yeast beginning to bubble, add it to the salt and flour mixture along with the rest of your warm water. 1 tsp salt, 2.5 cups whole wheat flour
• Place your dough on a floured surface and knead it for a few minutes. You’re looking for it to stop sticking to your hands. If it’s super sticky, add a little more flour.
• Add the olive oil (or generously spray the olive oil to the inner liner of your pot. oil
• Place your dough inside the pot. Rub the dough on the bottom of the pot so both the top and bottom are coated with a bit of oil. Place a light towel on top of the dough to help it rise.
• Turn your Foodi to dehydrate and set the temp to 105 degrees. Set a timer and allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
• Form bagels and allow to rise again:
• While the dough is rising, get your toppings ready and place some cornmeal on the counter. cornmeal
• After 30 minutes, pull your dough out of the pot and place it on your counter. Quickly fill up your Foodi about halfway, set your pressure cooker for 5 minutes and then press start. Allow the water to boil while you're forming the bagels. This will take about 20 minutes total so you can save significant time by starting this step as soon as the dough is out of the pot.
• Divide your dough up into 6, 8, or 10 pieces (nutrition calculated based on 10 bagels)
• Shape the bagels into circles by rolling out thin strips and securing them at the ends or by making a round ball and poking a hole through the middle.
• Place the wheat bagels on the counter and put a thin towel over them. Allow them to rest for 15 minutes or so.
• Boil the bagels:
• After the water comes to pressure, press sauté and allow the water to boil.
• Place a few bagels at a time into the boiling water, and allow them to boil for 3 minutes, then flip and allow to cook for 2-3 more minutes. When they’re done, pull them out with big tongs that can cover the entire bagel (using small ones might make your bagels break in half).
• Place them on a drying rack while you boil the rest of the bagels.
• Pro Tip: If you’re making multiple types of homemade bagels, boil the plain ones first and then the seasoned ones. For example, cinnamon raisin bagel dough will make the water taste of cinnamon. Boil your plain bagels first, then the cinnamon raisin ones.
• Top the bagels:
• Mix up your egg and add 2 tablespoons of water. Brush the mixture onto your bagels to help the toppings stick. I brush both sides, because I hate sitting down to eat a bagel and being sad that only one side has flavor. Don't you? 1 egg
• Dip your wheat bagels into the toppings. Like I said above, change your life and put your toppings on BOTH sides.
• I brush with egg, then dip into seasoning, roll in seasoning, and then use a spoon to make sure everything is coated.
• Tip: If you are allergic to eggs, water will work fine for this step. I’d recommend brushing one at a time with water, then topping.
• Bake the bagels:
• Once your bagels are topped, use your air fryer rack inside the Foodi and place 2-3 bagels at a time on the rack. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Keep checking to make sure they don’t brown too much.
• Let your bagels cool. If you don't plan on eating these right away, you’re going to want to freeze them for freshness, as they have no preservatives in them. Freeze the wheat bagels individually so they don’t stick together.

How to make Instant Pot bagels:

• You can use the Instant Pot or any other electric pressure cooker to warm the dough to help it rise and then boil the bagels. You'll need either an air fryer or an oven to bake the bagels after you boil them. You could also use a Mealthy CrispLid with your electric pressure cooker.
• Allow dough to rise: Set your Instant Pot to the normal yogurt setting, or use the keep warm function.
• Form bagels and allow to rise again: No changes need to be made to this step.
• Boil the bagels: No changes needed.
• Top the bagels: No changes needed.
• Bake the bagels: Bake at 350º for 4-5 minutes, then flip and bake for 4-5 more minutes. If you have a convection oven, take advantage of that feature!

How to make wheat bagels using the stove/oven:

• Using your stove to boil the bagels and your oven to bake them is a great way to make these skinny bagels. You won’t miss a thing if you want to do it this way.
• Allow dough to rise: Place your dough in a large bowl and cover with a thin towel. Allow to rise for 30 minutes. If you can get your oven warm for a few minutes and let the bowl of dough rise in there that’s best. Just set the oven to turn on for 2-3 minutes, then turn it off.
• Form bagels and allow to rise again: No changes need to be made to this step.
• Boil the bagels: Boil the bagels in a large pot on the stove. The rest of the instructions for this step are the same no matter what cooking method you use.
• Top the bagels: No changes needed.
• Bake the bagels: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the bagels on a baking sheet and bake for 4-5 minutes, then flip and bake for 4-5 more minutes. If you have a convection oven, take advantage of that feature!

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is calculated based on this recipe making 10 bagels. 

Healthy eating plans:

21 Day Fix Container Counts:

One of these whole wheat bagels counts as one yellow container. If you add honey, raisins, or other sweeteners or fruits to your bagel dough, you’ll want to add that into your counts.

Weight Watchers points:

When dividing this recipe to make 10 bagels, each bagel counts as 3 points on the 2023 Plan, Blue, Green, and Purple plans. If you add honey, raisins, or other sweeteners or fruits to your dough, make sure to recalculate the points on the Weight Watchers website.

Nutrition

Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 239mg | Potassium: 115mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Homemade Healthy Bagel Recipe appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Finding ways to get healthy food on the table isn’t always easy. This air fry broccoli recipe is customizable – using your favorite spices, you can find the best flavor combination for this easy vegetable side dish.

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we want our recipes to be straightforward enough for any level cook to follow. That’s why we like to provide as much information as we can.

In this article you’ll find ingredient information, seasoning ideas, step by step instructions, tips on how to get the best results, plus healthy eating plan calculations. If you’d like to skip past all of that, you can scroll to the bottom of this post where you’ll find the easy to print recipe for crispy Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli.

Ingredients

• Broccoli: broccoli is high in a lot of nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, fiber, and potassium. It also has more protein than most other vegetables. For this recipe we’ll be using frozen broccoli florets.
• Cooking spray oil: I like to use avocado oil or olive oil spray.
• Seasoning: see below for ideas that will add great flavor to your broccoli bites.

Optional seasonings for Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli

• Sea salt & black pepper
• Italian seasoning
• Garlic powder and onion powder
• Montreal seasoning
• Balsamic vinegar
• Parmesan cheese
• Nutritional yeast
• Frank’s hot sauce
• Garlic salt
• Rosemary and garlic
• Lemon zest
• Chili powder
• Cayenne pepper

How to make Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli

1. First, pour half of a bag (about 6 ounces) of frozen broccoli florets into a large mixing bowl.
2. Spray olive oil or avocado oil on the broccoli. When using frozen broccoli, you’ll want to do this quickly because it can freeze and clump up. 
3. Next add salt, pepper, and any other toppings you prefer. Then toss and mix well in the large bowl. 
4. Now, you’ll add the broccoli into your air fryer basket in a single layer.
5. Finally, cook the frozen broccoli in the air fryer at 400 degrees f for 20 minutes of cook time, opening to toss every few minutes. 

Tips on how to make the best crispy broccoli

• Nutritional yeast is one of my favorite seasonings to add to frozen vegetables because it makes for a great bread-like coating, has a buttery-nutty flavor, and adds a little protein.
• To get the crispy texture, it’s important that the broccoli cooks at a high temperature and in a single layer–it allows the heat to circulate better and cook more evenly. If you have a small air fryer you might not be able to make the whole batch in a single time.
• If you’d rather not spray oil on the vegetables, that’s fine, but watch for them to become dry.
• Remember that you might lose some seasoning at the bottom of the air fryer. Plan for that and add a little extra at the end of your cook time if you’d like. 
• Think outside the box! Frozen vegetables in the air fryer can be the best way to get those veggies in in a low carb way.
• Sometimes I have leftover broccoli from a veggie platter, and air frying is a great way to use it up in even less time. If you’re cooking fresh broccoli the temperature stays the same but the total cook time goes down to just 6 minutes.

One of my favorite recipes for Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli

Broccoli with Balsamic & Parmesan

Ingredients:

• One half of a 12 ounce bag of frozen broccoli
• Olive or Avocado oil spray
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, panko breadcrumbs, or homemade breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Parmesan cheese, as an optional garnish

Directions:

1. Pour half the bag (about 6 ounces) of frozen broccoli into a bowl.
2. Spray olive oil on top of broccoli. If using frozen broccoli, do this quickly because it’ll freeze and clump up. 
3. Add nutritional yeast (optional, but it makes a great bread-like coating) and balsamic on top of it. Toss and mix well in the bowl. 
4. Cook frozen broccoli in the air fryer at 400º for 20 minutes, opening to toss every few minutes. 

Looking for the Best Air Fryer?

While I prefer the Ninja Foodi to use as my air fryer, you can easily use an Instant Pot with an air fryer lid or a Mealthy CrispLid. If you have a convection oven, simply use that–it’s the original air fryer :)

It doesn’t matter which air fryer model you have, as long as you learn to cook with it.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix

3/4 Green Container for the broccoli. The spray oil amount is negligible but if you’d rather omit it entirely you can do that too.

Nutritional yeast is free if you’re using one serving, but 1/2 cup will count for about 1/2 red container (this is an educated guess on my part, as nutritional yeast is not on the food list).

If you’d rather not use nutritional yeast, you can use whole wheat panko and count 1 yellow container for 1/2 cup, or use 6 Triscuts, crunched up, for 1 yellow container. 

Weight Watchers

Most vegetables are free on Weight Watchers, depending on the myWW plan you’re on. The breading and fats are where your points will come in.

These points for these optional toppings are the same on Purple, Green, and Blue Plans:

• 1/2 cup of Nutritional Yeast is 2 points (new 2022/2023 points plan is 1)
• 1 tbsp of butter is 5 points (new 2022/2023 points plan is 6)
• Olive oil cooking spray is zero points
• 1/2 cup of panko whole wheat breadcrumbs is 5 points (new 2022/2023 points plan is 2)
• 1/4 cup of Frank’s Original Red Hot is zero points
• 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar is 1 point (new 2022/2023 points plan is 1)

More delicious veggie recipes

• Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Teriyaki Sauce
• Buffalo Air Fryer Cauliflower
• Air Fryer Eggplant
• Baked Carrot French Fries
• Vegan Breakfast Hash
• Perfect Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

Print

Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli

I love easy air fryer recipes, and this Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli has become my new favorite way to cook broccoli! In just a few easy steps you can have a healthy side dish on your table, thanks to the trusty air fryer.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword air fryer, broccoli, Snack

Prep Time 0 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 1 person

Calories 22kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

• Instant Pot 6 qt
• Ninja Foodi
• Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

• 6 oz frozen broccoli
• avocado oil spray or olive oil spray
• seasoning

Instructions

• First, pour half of a bag (about 6 ounces) of frozen broccoli florets into a large mixing bowl. 6 oz frozen broccoli
• Then spray olive oil or avocado oil on the broccoli. When using frozen broccoli, you'll want to do this quickly because it can freeze and clump up. avocado oil spray
• Next add salt and pepper, and any other toppings you prefer. Then toss and mix well in the large bowl. seasoning
• Now you'll add the broccoli into your air fryer basket in a single layer.
• Finally, cook the frozen broccoli in the air fryer at 400 degrees f for 20 minutes of cook time, opening to toss every few minutes. 

Notes

Tips on how to make the best crispy broccoli

• Nutritional yeast is one of my favorite seasonings to add to frozen vegetables because it makes for a great bread-like coating, has a buttery-nutty flavor, and adds a little protein.
• To get the crispy texture, it’s important that the broccoli cooks at a high temperature and in a single layer–it allows the heat to circulate better and cook more evenly. If you have a small air fryer you might not be able to make the whole batch in a single time.
• If you’d rather not spray oil on the vegetables, that’s fine, but watch for them to become dry.
• Remember that you might lose some seasoning at the bottom of the air fryer. Plan for that and add a little extra at the end of your cook time if you’d like. 
• Think outside the box! Frozen vegetables in the air fryer can be the best way to get those veggies in in a low carb way.
• Sometimes I have leftover broccoli from a veggie platter, and air frying is a great way to use it up in even less time. If you’re cooking fresh broccoli the temperature stays the same but the total cook time goes down to just 6 minutes.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix

Nutritional yeast is free if you’re using one serving, but 1/2 cup will count for about 1/2 red container (this is an educated guess on my part, as nutritional yeast is not on the food list).

If you’d rather not use nutritional yeast, you can use whole wheat panko and count 1 yellow container for 1/2 cup, or use 6 Triscuts, crunched up, for 1 yellow container. 

Weight Watchers

Most vegetables are free on Weight Watchers, depending on the myWW plan you’re on. The breading and fats are where your points will come in.

These points for these optional toppings are the same on Purple, Green, and Blue Plans:

• 1/2 cup of Nutritional Yeast is 2 points (new 2022/2023 points plan is 1)
• 1 tbsp of butter is 5 points (new 2022/2023 points plan is 6)
• Olive oil cooking spray is zero points
• 1/2 cup of panko whole wheat breadcrumbs is 5 points (new 2022/2023 points plan is 2)
• 1/4 cup of Frank’s Original Red Hot is zero points
• 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar is 1 point (new 2022/2023 points plan is 1)

Nutrition

Calories: 22kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.1g | Protein: 1.8g | Fat: 0.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.9g | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg

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